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The Outrage and Optimism of Christianity in an Election Without a Candidate

The recording of Donald Trump bragging about his inappropriate behavior has set off a firestorm. Republican leaders are distancing themselves and there is a call for others to do the same. I’ve heard faith-based leaders react and call for reactions as if there is a need to indict behaviors and attitudes that were evident for decades. The latest revelation is no revelation at all. There is nothing about Donald Trump that suggests moral alignment with the truth of God.

Meanwhile, there is nothing about Hillary Clinton that suggests moral alignment with the truth of God, either. She is outwardly and obviously opposed to the values that reflect the Christian faith. If elected, she will presumably appoint Supreme Court justices that agree with her perspective.

Perhaps more than ever before in the history of the United States, there is a need to represent the truth of Jesus in a culture that doesn’t value truth. It will be important for us to remember in the representation of the truth of Jesus, however, that He brought the truth accompanied by grace. John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

The call to the church is not one of encouraging them to sound off with conviction or condemnation. The task at hand is to realize that the Kingdom of God is not found in the alignment of morals or virtues that represent truth in the first place. A moral code of behaviors is another form of the law. The Kingdom of God is found in the grace and life of the person of Jesus. Not a set of rules that we think will make Him happy.

The two trees in the garden were the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Jumping around on a branch of good to oppose evil doesn’t convince or deter evil at all; it mobilizes it. Telling others how bad they are or how good we are isn’t useful. They already know how we feel about the issues that we care about, anyway. What they need to know as much as we need to remember is how Jesus feels about them despite the stuff that is born of the wrong tree.

The Kingdom is not represented in governments or candidates, it is multiplied in people. The Kingdom was always intended as organic and viral fueled by the life and breath of God.

I feel safe in saying that no matter who wins, we lose. I feel just as safe in saying that no matter who wins, we win. We win because the pressure of a government that doesn’t agree with a belief system will force that belief system to survive without the assistance of the law. We’ll be forced to rely on grace. We’ll be forced to rely on Jesus.

2 thoughts on “The Outrage and Optimism of Christianity in an Election Without a Candidate”

Joshua told the people to pick up stones to remember who God is. He then put the mark of God on them so they would remember whose they were. Then he led them in worship of God incarnate. Then he led them into the mist unorthodox battle of all time. Why ? So they could inherit and inhabit God’s promise. Should we expect or settle for less. Oh, I almost forgot that battle was against men who made them look like grasshoppers.